Thursday, March 29, 2012

I've come across two instances this week of Christian irrationality.I have quite a few Christian friends, and I respect their beliefs, which is why I never blogged on the Red Bull ad that got a bunch of Christians hot under the collar. I'll admit, when my husband and I saw the ad on TV, we exchanged knowing looks that it would be pulled the next day in response to Christian outcry.

What I didn't expect from Christians, however, was the claim that Red Bull should have asked Jesus' permission before featuring him in its ad. Really? Really??Ok, I said I wouldn't comment on this, so I'll change topic to why I'm really writing.

Some Christians have taken issue with the fact that Woolworths had a Halaal symbol on its hot cross bun packaging. Because, apparently, Christians have laid claim to hot cross buns and no one else is allowed to eat them. I wonder how many Christians eat matzos at this time of year? (I highly recommend you read the comments under this story, by the way).

And some are even threatening to boycott Woolworths because of it. Some are even more extreme in their anger:“I hate woolworths... How can you do that to the Christians, I hope that God will have mercy on you. And dnt be surprised if your shops run bankrupt.. I will pray to my living God and you will see what he is capable of! [sic]”. Wow, very Christian-like indeed.

Maybe they should be more like the bishop who said "there are a lot more weighty issues to deal with in SA than a few 'hot cross Christians'". *snigger*Hot cross buns, believe it or not, pre-dated Christianity. "...it is believed that buns marked with a cross were eaten by Saxons in honour of the goddess Eostre (the cross is thought to have symbolised the four quarters of the moon); "Eostre" is probably the origin of the name "Easter".

Anyway, whatever.

Now Woolworths is making separate buns for non-Christians. I find this all very petty and pathetic.

Is Christianity not supposed to be about tolerance and acceptance of all? To me, it seems like a very exclusive club. Religion is causing unnecessary tension in a society that has a lot more pressing issues to busy itself with, and fighting over who may or may not eat hot cross buns is reflective of very closed-minded thinking.